Discrimination
Pornography, sexual orientation and ambivalent sexism in young adults in Spain.
Open Access: No
Abstract
Background. On line platforms offer access to an almost unlimited variety of pornographic material that shows high levels of sexism. Despite this fact, there are still few studies that assess the effect of pornography on sexism in young adults The aim of this study is to analyze the association of pornography consumption and sexual orientation with benevolent sexism (BS) and hostile sexism (HS) in young men and women.
Methods. We surveyed 2,346 people aged 18–35 years old. Multiple regression models were carried out for BS and HS. The independent variables: current pornography consumption and sexual orientation. Covariates: sociodemographic variables -age, sex, level of education and place of birth.
Results. A) HS: Men who consumed pornography had higher median values of HS than those who did not [β(95%CI):2.39(0.67;4.10)]. Homosexual/ bisexual men displayed lower values of HS than heterosexual men [β(95%CI):-2.98(-4.52;-1.45)]. The increase in HS levels associated with pornography consumption was notably greater in homosexual and bisexual women relative to heterosexual women, where that pattern was not observed [β(95%CI for interaction): 2.27(0.11; 4.43)]. B) BS: Mean values of BS were observed to be lower for both women [β(95%CI):-2.16(-2.99;-1.32)] and men [β(95%CI):-4.30(-5.75;-2.86)] who consumed pornography compared to those who did not. Homosexual/bisexual men recorded mean values of BS lower than heterosexual men [β(95%CI):-3.10(-4.21;-1.99)].
Conclusions. Pornography consumption is related to sexism and differs according to sex and sexual orientation. As sexism is the substratum of inequality between men and women, it is urgent to launch affective-sexual education programs for young people that take into account the determinants of sexism.
Relevance
The result of this study “confirm that there is a positive association between pornography consumption and HS [hostile sexism]. This association is positive regardless of sexual orientation in men. In women, the association between pornography consumption and HS is significant and positive exclusively regarding homosexual and bisexual women….our results confirm that men who consume pornography show higher mean values of HS…In relation to this result, it is important to highlight that being exposed to pornography starts at younger ages, as pornography becomes part of the construction of eroticism in adolescence. The association between pornography and HS, as well as the association between HS and violence against women [21, 37–39], highlights the need to offer education programs that reduce sexism at younger ages and to provide sex education based on pleasure and mutual respect from early ages.”
Citation
Sanz-Barbero, B., Estévez-García, J.F., Madrona-Bonastre, R., R., Vicens, G. R., Serra, L., & Vives-Cases, C. (2024). Pornography, sexual orientation and ambivalent sexism in young adults in Spain. BMC Public Health 24, Article 374. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17853-y
